Friday, October 31, 2003

Another media figure shot in Iraq

Reporters Without Borders today called on the Iraqi police and US-British coalition forces to set up a commission to establish the exact circumstances of the death of Ahmed Shawkat, the editor of the weekly Bila Ittijah (Without Direction), yesterday in the northern city Mosul.

The Associated Press said Shawkat was shot dead on the roof of his office in Mosul .Two men had reportedly followed him up to the roof when he went there to make a phone call.

His daughter Roaa Shawkat, who also worked for Bila Ittijah, said Shawkat had issued "calls for democracy and our people don't understand the meaning of democracy - maybe the Islamists have taken a stance against him for that reason."

Shawkat had reportedly received threatening letters telling him to close down his newspaper. His daughter described him as a man of integrity : "He used to write against the resistance, against the Americans, against the local government and the former government." Some people clearly did not like the fact that he had "a view and a principle," she added.
article

I'm keeping a list of journalists and other news media people killed in Iraq on my Body Count web page.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

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